Lingering Inhibitions
by Subtle Rose
Summary: AU: If Once-ler hadn't been so caught up in all his biggering, he might have noticed the signs before it was too late. Now everything he knows is being threatened, who could have known that the Lorax truly was as powerful as he claimed?


Hello everyone!

Welcome to my first Lorax fic!

This is an AU, but I won't tell you everything about it here. Wouldn't want to ruin the suprises in store. ; D

* * *

Chapter 1: Dreams

It was dark.

Unnaturally so.

A deathly silence surrounded him and Once-ler felt like he was walking through something almost solid, he felt a weight press down on him from all side. It was stifling. Panic was slowly starting to creep up on him. He didn't know where he was or why. There was only darkness, all around him.

He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, _he couldn't breathe_.

His panic hit a crescendo and he broke out into a run, he had to get away. He felt like he was suffocating. His lungs burned from the effort of his mad dash but he still couldn't get away. No matter how hard he ran, the darkness remained. He couldn't even tell if he was truly moving forward.

He knew he was telling his body to run but he couldn't feel any kind of change around him. There was no movement, no wind howling in his ears telling him he was in motion.

Suddenly he felt as if he'd hit something, the force of the collision was enough to throw him back onto the ground. He grimaced in pain as he sat up. A multitude of thoughts were running through his mind but they all came to a grinding halt as he beheld the sight in front of him.

A light.

A doorway.

A way out.

He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could and forced his body into one more mad dash. He had to get out, he had to escape, and he couldn't stand this stifling darkness anymore.

_He couldn't stand the feeling of being utterly alone._

He could hear the blood rushing through his ears, it was deafening in the silence. But he pressed on, the light, his way out, was getting closer and closer.

Before he knew it, he was at the threshold of the light; he could feel the warmth emanating from it. He forced his body to make one last sprint. He practically threw himself into it, his body taking another hard fall on the other side.

He lay there, on the ground for a few moments. His muscles burned from the exertion, he couldn't even fathom moving them. His breathe was ragged and shallow, each breathe caused his lungs to burn and he felt like he couldn't get enough air into them. He spent what felt like an eternity, there on the floor.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted himself up from the ground; the action causes his muscles to cry out in protest. The sight before him confused him.

He was in his office.

He stood up, using a chair to help balance him, his long legs shaky to say the least. He looked around his office, everything looked normal. Confusion and the lingering remains of panic made it hard for him to think clearly about what had happened.

He took a few shaky steps toward the door, he needed to find someone, ask them what had happened.

Even if he wasn't sure what had happened himself. He needed answers.

The hallway was eerily quiet and he made his way down it. There was no one. Not even his secretary, no sign of a single living soul.

A thought suddenly assaulted his muddled mind: Where were Norma and Helen?

He felt a whole new kind of panic overtake him and a mind numbing fear, not for him, _but for his family._

He didn't know how he managed to get his tired and worn body to comply with his wishes but he didn't question it as he ran down the halls checking all the rooms. Every room he checked was empty; it was like the entire factory was devoid of life.

That revelation only fueled his panic and determination to find them.

Finally he came upon Helen's nursery and play room. He put his hand on the door knob; it felt cold in his hand. He almost didn't want to open it, for fear he's find another empty room but he swallowed his fear. He turned the knob slowly, hoping beyond hope that he would find them in here.

The room was bathed in warm afternoon light, a stark contrast to the rest of the factory.

In the middle of the room there were two people: A woman with curly light brown hair and a little girl with dark curls not unlike her mother's.

He'd found them.

A dry sob escaped him as his eyes beheld the sight.

_They were safe. _

_They were okay._

He stumbled through the doorway, wanting nothing more than to take both of them into his arms and never let them go.

Apparently he'd made enough noise that both Norma and Helen looked up in his direction. Instead of seeing their smiling faces, however, he saw frightened and horrified looks directed at him. The two started to back away from him.

Once-ler froze mid step. "W-What's wrong?" he choked out, concerned by their reactions to him.

The two didn't answer him, they just continued to back away from him. Norma was clutching Helen to her breast protectively.

"N-Norma?" He asked again as he reached out a hand to them.

That's when he saw it. His eyes widened in horror as he looked at his hand. Only it didn't look like his hand anymore. His fingers were clawed, breaking through the fabric of his gloves. He looked on in horror. He looked at his other hand, it was the same thing.

_What was going on? _

He looked down at his body and found that other horrifying changes had taken place. He didn't know what was going on. His panic was reaching new levels. He looked back at Norma and Helen, the two were huddle in the corner farthest away from him.

The sight pained him. He felt an acute sense of pain from their looks.

"Norma…" He began but stopped when he heard the change in his voice. That didn't sound like him. This was harsher, coarser than his voice.

He took a step towards them and Norma let out a terrified scream, he tried to stop but he couldn't. He couldn't control his body; he was walking closer and closer to them. They screams were ringing in his ears but he couldn't stop, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop.

Finally he was upon them, he felt a growl rising in his throat and Norma let out a blood-curdling scream before he descended upon them.

* * *

Once-ler awake with a start, covered in cold sweat. He looked around wildly, still disoriented but overcome with a sense of fear. His chest heaved violently and he tried to collect himself. He looked around, unsure of his surrounds. He was in his bed as far as he could tell. He looked down to his hands, they were normal, no claws or anything. He let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Once-ler?" A soft voice rang out.

He turned to look and saw Norma looking at him with concern in her eyes. Her hair was slightly tussled and her unfocused eyes looked in his direction. He had woken her up.

But he didn't care about that, he was just so happy to see that she was okay that he threw his arms around her in a fierce, protective hug.

Norma was momentarily stunned by his sudden embrace but she could feel the desperation in the way he was holding her. So she wrapped her arms around him in turn, gently running her fingers through his hair. "Did you have another nightmare?" she questioned softly.

He was silent for a moment, but eventually his head bobbed up and down in a nod. He pressed his face into her hair, taking in her scent as even further reassurance that she really was there. He wasn't surprised that she had guessed it was another nightmare. He'd been having many lately; at least this time he had Norma to console him. There had been many times where he'd just fallen asleep in his office instead of making to his room and he'd wake up like this in a panic, completely alone.

The dreams were certainly disturbing and always involved the same basic elements. He didn't know why he was having these dreams. He chalked it up to being over stressed, but there was really nothing he could do about that. He had a company to run and he didn't have time to slow down.

"Feeling better?"

It took Once-ler a moment to figure out that that question had been directed towards him. He slowly pulled back from the embrace. "Yes, a bit." He took a moment to look at Norma, her hair was quite literally all over the place but she looked a little less dazed now, more awake. He put his hand gently on her cheek and caressed it softly. He loved just being able to be this close to her.

"You should take a break you know." She told him, her voice laced with firmness and yet it was still soft. It was the kind of tone she used when she was talking to Helen.

He couldn't help but chuckle. That his Norma would touch on a subject he had just been thinking about was not uncommon at all but it still made him smile. "I know." He let his hand fall from her face. "But I can't stop now, everything's moving along so well." He grabbed her hand gently.

Norma pursed her lips and looked down at her lap, at their hands. She was upset, he knew. But business was business and he couldn't afford to fall behind. He wished that he could make her see that clearer; this was something that could only benefit the two. As long as things kept up he would make sure she'd want for nothing.

"I miss you, Oncie." Norma admitted quietly, using his nickname. He was starting to hear it less and less from her. "I feel like I never see you anymore, Helen as well. Do you know she's always asking me about you?"

Once-ler couldn't hold back the slight cringe from her words. She was right. He did hardly ever spend time with them, even if Norma and he slept in the same bed most of the time. He was usually exhausted from work and didn't even have enough energy to hold a conversation with her when it came time for bed. It was worth it though, wasn't it? He was providing for his family. He brought her hand up and covered it with his other one as well. "Look, Norma, I'm sorry I haven't been around as much lately_. _But_ I promise_ I'm going to make it up to you alright?"

Norma looked up at him with weary eyes and he felt a pang of guilt strike his heart. She was really upset about this. Had it really gotten that bad?

"Alright, Oncie. I believe you." She gave a small nod, and tried to smile. It didn't reach her eyes, however. Unfortunately he didn't notice this.

"We can all have breakfast in the morning, how does that sound? Just the three of us." He felt rather proud of himself for coming up with that suggestion so soon. Very diplomatic indeed. That would make Norma happy, right? It was what she wanted after all.

"That sounds lovely." She flashed him a more complete smile this time. "But if we're going to have breakfast we should both head back to bed, it's late." She said as she looked at the clock on the nightstand. They'd have to be up in a few hours.

Once-ler nodded in agreement. "I'm just going to go check up on Helen, alright?" He was still shaken up by his nightmare, even if he didn't care to admit it, and he just wanted to see for himself that Helen was also alright. It was almost routine when he had these nightmares.

Norma seemed to acknowledge what he didn't say as well as what he did. She gave a nod and reached up her hand and laid it on his cheek, caressing it softly. "I'll wait for you then."

He sighed and leaned into her touch, enjoying the contact. She had a way about her that always helped him feel better. What had he done to deserve such a wonderful person? He truly didn't know, but he was so happy he had her. He didn't know what he'd do without her. "I won't be long." He reluctantly pulled away but not before gently grabbing her hand and giving it a light kiss.

He stood up, grimacing at the feel of the cold floor. He should really invest in slippers sometime in the near future. He made his way outside the room and into the hallway. Helen's room was only two rooms away from theirs. The close proximity made little check-ups like this easier and it also meant that sometimes they'd have an extra little visitor during the night.

Little Helen was not one to be deterred by a dark hallway if she wanted to sleep with her parents.

The hallway was dark and quiet but it was nothing like what he'd experienced in his dream. This was a calm kind of quiet, not the kind that seemed to hold some kind of ominous air to it. In fact, he could hear the humming of the factory faintly. It was still operating even now. That was something he noticed was always absent in his dreams, the whole factory seemed to be shut down.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, he tip toed up to Helen's door. It wasn't his intention to wake up at all. He opened the door as quietly as he could, cringing a bit when the knob made a squeak in protest. He'd have to see about getting the doorknob oiled or simply replaced.

Once-ler didn't need to turn on the light in order to see. Helen had a rotating nightlight. All around the room little moons and stars danced round and round. He made his way as quietly as he could to Helen's bed.

She was sleeping soundly and looked perfectly at peace.

Once-ler couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had to stop letting these dreams make him so uneasy. Nothing was going to happen to his family, he wasn't going to turn into some monster, and even if he did, he would never, _ever_ hurt his family like that.

He leaned down and gave Helen a light kiss on her forehead. The little brunette didn't even stir. He brought up the blankets she had probably kicked down in her sleep. He made sure she was warm and cozy before departing from her room.

A tired yawn escaped him as he quietly shut the door. He couldn't wait to get back into bed. He made his way slowly back into his room, feet dragging across the floor. The sudden wave of tiredness that had assaulted was tempting him to fall asleep on the floor but the thought of a warm bed and a lovely wife drove him onwards.

When he reached the room it appeared that Norma was asleep, so he slipped into bed as quietly as he could. He snaked an arm across Norma's waist and held her close. He knew no more after that.

* * *

It was not a harsh, blaring alarm that awoke him this morning, but a small jumping mess of brown curls. Once-ler groaned as little Helen jumped on his stomach.

"Daddy! Daddy!" The little girl exclaimed as she bounced on Once-ler's stomach repeatedly. "Morning!" She sounded completely excited about something.

"M-morning sweetie." He replied as he removed the bouncing ball of curls from his stomach. He was a little groggy and wasn't quite sure what was going on. He sat up a bit and looked around the room. He could see that the bathroom light was on, that explained her Norma was. He looked back at the hyper-active ball of energy in front of him. "Someone seems excited." He mentioned as he smiled sleepily at her.

"Mommy says daddy's having breakfast with us!" Helen exclaimed, her curls bouncing up and down.

"That's why? But I have breakfast wit-" Once-ler stopped himself. When was the last time he'd had breakfast with Norma and Helen? He honestly couldn't remember. A pang of guilt made its presence known. How could he not _know_?

Helen watched him with curious eyes.

Once-ler smiled sheepishly. He _had_ just randomly cut of in mid-sentence. "So," he started. "What do you want for breakfast today, honey?" He'd let her have whatever she wanted this morning, within reason of course.

"I want…." She trailed off for a moment, looking like she was thinking intently on what to ask for. "Pancakes!" Her face lit up in a smile at the very idea.

Once-ler smiled at her choice. "Pancakes it is. I'll let the cook know." He reached over for the phone sitting on the night stand. He dialed a few numbers and he was talking to the cook, the conversation hardly lasted a minutes. He looked back to where Helen was only to find a lump in the blankets. "Helen?" he called out, a smile making its way onto his features.

The lump moved but he did not receive a reply. He also faintly heard the sound of giggling from underneath the pile.

"Hm." He feigned innocence. "Now where did Helen go? I don't see her anywhere." He stood up and walked around the bed a few times. "She was just here a minute ago." He could hear laughter from the lump now.

"Could she be under the bed?" He questioned as he made for the pile of blankets. He grabbed the edges of the blankets and prepared to throw them back. "Found you!" He exclaimed as he uncovered the little brunette.

Helen let out a squeal of laughter. "Daddy found me!"

"Yup!" He replied as he picked her. "It was hard work though." He smiled at her. He held her securely in his arms as he made his way to the bathroom door. "Norma!" He called out. "We're leaving for breakfast now. Are you ready?"

"Be right out!" Came the voice from inside.

Once-ler waited by the bedroom door for only a few moments before Norma emerged. She was still wearing her pajamas but it looked like she had been fixing her hair. She'd probably already showered then.

"Morning." She said as she looked at the two. A soft smile made its way onto her features at the sight of the two. She walked over and gave Once-ler a light kiss on the cheek.

"Morning to you too." He said, returning the sign of affection. "Shall we go?"

Norma gave a quick nod. "What's for breakfast?" she asked as the three made their way down the hall and towards the dining room.

"Pancakes." Helen replied, looking quite proud. She looked up at Once-ler expectantly. "Right, daddy?"

"Thanks right." he said as he gently tapped her nose. "That's alright with you, right Norma?" He looked at her with a smile. She could be a bit of a picky eater sometimes so he hoped that it was alright to have let Helen choose.

Norma smiled and nodded. "Of course it is."

The three of them were quite the sight, walking down the ornate hall in nothing but their pajamas.

It wasn't long before they finally reached the rather large dining hall. It was a rather somber color and very stuffy. Usually the only thing it was used for were for formal dinners. The little family walked past the large room and into a smaller more brightly colored room. This was where they usually ate, sometimes Once-ler's family joined them.

The three of them took a seat at the table, Once-ler sitting at the edge with Norma and Helen on either side. There already drinks placed on the table, hot cocoa for Once-ler, tea for Norma and milk for Helen.

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Once-ler asked, taking a few mini marshmallows and putting them in his hot cocoa. He wasn't really quite sure what Norma did to entertain herself now a days, she had long since quite her job at the bookstore after they moved into the factory.

Norma looked pensive for a moment, her fingers tracing the rim of her teacup. "Well," she began. "I was thinking of heading into town for a bit. Helen's starting to outgrow most of her dresses and I thought it would be a good idea to swing by and get us both some new dresses." She looked up at once-ler, a small smile forming.

Once-ler returned her smile. "That sounds like fun." He was about to say something more when one of his assistants walked in.

"There you are, Mr. Once-ler, sir." She ducked her head in something of a bow. "I'm sorry to interrupt but we have a situation that requires your immediate attention."

The small, delicate smile that had been on Norma's face instantly fell at the assistant's words.

Once-ler gave a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Right, I'll be right there." He dismissed his assistant with a wave of his hand. He turned to look back at his family, a heavy sense of guilt making its way into his conscious. "I'm sorry, honey but I have to go see what's going on."

He almost couldn't handle the disappointment in Norma's stare as she looked at him. "You do what you have to." She said quietly, not looking at him. He knew she was upset, but what could he do? He was the head of the company, if he didn't do it, who would?

He looked over at Helen. She was very quiet now. Not at all resembling the ball of energy she'd been only 10 minutes ago. "I'm sorry honey, but daddy has some work to do."

"But daddy said he'd eat with us." The little brunette mumbled sadly.

"I know, sweetie, but daddy has work to do." He ruffled her hair gently. "I promise I'll have breakfast with you two another day."

He didn't wait for her reply as he headed out of the room, stopping only to give Norma a quick peck on the cheek and a mumbled apology. Unfortunately he was out of the room before he could hear little Helen say,

"Daddy never keeps his promises."

* * *

Critique is always welcome!


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